


One Night

by mayara_2007



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Comfort/Angst, F/M, Identity Reveal, In Character, Marichat, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, Post-Episode: s03 Miracle Queen (The Battle of the Miraculous Part 2), Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:35:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26434276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayara_2007/pseuds/mayara_2007
Summary: Feeling lost about her new role as Guardian while also trying to give Adrien and Kagami space, Marinette turns to Chat Noir as a welcome companion to get her mind off of the many things plaguing her mind.What she doesn't know is that this is only the beginning of something unexpected.
Comments: 25
Kudos: 158
Collections: Marichat





	1. Lost

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not 100% how far I will end up going, or where this journey will take me. I have had some ideas floating around in my mind for a while now, and it feels nice to try and get them out

It was becoming harder to stay cheerful these days, especially when she couldn’t avoid the sources of her unpleasantness. Just watching Adrien and Kagami interact with one another, laughing and playing, made Marinette’s heart feel heavy. So she began pasting a plastic smile on her face whenever she couldn’t avoid being around them, and would make up some excuse as to why she had to leave early when things were getting too much to bear.

Add to all of that that Chat Noir was also becoming distant as well. He had stopped with all his flirtatious advances, even refraining from calling her m’lady and bugaboo. It was nice that he had finally given up on her, but a part of it still stung. It was like all the constants in her life were shifting, and she didn’t know where to go. She knew inwardly that she could still count on Chat when an akuma showed up, but with all these changes, she suddenly felt like she was adrift at sea with no north star to guide her.

_That’s because I am now my own north star, I cannot look to myself for guidance._

Ever since Master Fu relinquished the Miracle Box to her, she had felt inadequate as Ladybug. As it happened more times than she could recall, her mind floated back to that fateful day.

If she hadn’t kept letting her own pride get in the way of giving Chloe the Bee Miraculous, maybe she wouldn’t have turned to Hawk Moths side. If she hadn’t let her personal feelings get in the way when choosing Kagami over Chloe, simply because of Adrien getting further from her reach, maybe things would have worked out differently.

Maybe Master Fu would still be here.

She flicked her yo-yo deftly to the terrace that led down to her room, landing softly before transforming back.

“Marinette…” Tikki said softly.

Marinette sighed. “I know, Tikki. I’m trying. It’s just….hard. With Master Fu gone, and all these new responsibilities as the Guardian, I’m just lost. I have no one to talk to, I’m all alone.”

“You can always talk to me.”

Marinette cupped Tikki close, nuzzling her cheek against the kwami’s. “I know. I think I just want to be alone for a little bit, okay?”

The kwami nodded, and then retreated through the sky light into Marinette’s room.

Marinette sighed again, her mind reflecting back to Master Fu’s letter. She had read it so many times at this point that it was practically ingrained to her core. _What matters is to accept change, to accept that even if life doesn’t always give us the gifts we expect, life itself is a gift,_ his words echoed in her head.

“I’m trying to accept change, Master,” she whispered to the night sky, “But you never said that change would hurt this much…”

***********************

Adrien had noticed something had been bugging Marinette a while ago, but he never had the courage to ask her what was wrong. So he kept inviting her out, trying to get her to speak to either himself, or Kagami, but nothing seemed to work. Apparently Alya was keeping her mouth shut on the matter too, or Marinette hadn’t told her what was going on. Nino was just as clueless as Adrien was on the matter. All he knew was that whenever they were together, something would suddenly come up and she would have to leave, which wasn’t completely out of character for Marinette, but somehow felt like an entirely different situation. It seemed as if she was purposefully avoiding him, and it hurt. The fear that one of his precious friends had suddenly become cold towards him came back, and he started questioning where things had gone wrong.

It wasn’t as if he didn’t understand. He wasn’t entirely himself these days as well. He was trying to move past his infatuation with Ladybug, exploring the option that Kagami presented him with a few weeks ago. At the time she confessed her feelings, he wasn’t ready—to this day still isn’t sure he is ready, but rejection from Ladybug time and time again still hurt, and he needed to heal those wounds. So he had stopped flirting, stopped trying to make her jealous, because the last thing he wanted to do was alienate Ladybug from himself as well. Friends meant the world to him, and he didn’t want to lose any of the precious few he had.

As he vaulted from rooftop to rooftop, his eyes caught Marinette looking dejectedly up at the sky. Recalling the time long ago when they both were brokenhearted, he suddenly didn’t want to be alone that night either. And maybe he could get her to open up what had been bugging her if it was someone whom she didn’t realize was in her day to day life.

He vaulted to the roof behind her, purposefully letting his landing make noise to not scare her. “Hey.” he spoke softly.

“Don’t you have super-hero things to do tonight?” Marinette replied, not bothering to turn her head away from the starry sky.

“All’s quiet on the western front.” He gave a half smile. “I just got done patrolling with Ladybug and was on my way home when I spotted you.” He crept carefully across the railing until he was perched next to her. Looking outward as well, he asked gently “So what’s got you out here so late and looking dejected?”

Marinette gave a small smile. “Just feeling a little….lost, I guess. Things have changed for me recently, and I seem to have lost my bearings. Is this the right path? Were the choices I made the correct ones in the end? Could I have done anything differently?” She gave a dejected sigh. “I’m trying to make it all work out, but the wounds are still fresh that I am blinded by the pain, which makes me question if things could have gone differently if I had acted differently to begin with.”

Chat looked at the sky worriedly. “I can’t say that I fully understand what you’re talking about, but I can sympathize.” He took a deep breath. “Things have changed for me too. I’ve…. been trying to give up on Ladybug.”

Marinette turned to him, shocked. “You….you have?” her voice barely above a whisper, eyes searching his.

He returned her gaze with a small smile of his own and shrugged. “It hurts when your feelings aren’t reciprocated.” He looked back out towards the evening sky, and Marinette worried at her lip. “I thought if I gave her more time, she would start to love me back, like I loved her. But it seems no matter how hard I try, I get hurt in the end, and I don’t want to feel like this anymore. I’m trying to move on, but it’s hard when we work together daily. Seeing her act normal while I have this numbness spreading through my chest, I just… ” he trailed off.

“I know how that feels.” Marinette sighed. “I have been trying to move on from my love for some time now. Watching him be with someone else when I have decided to give up on him is painful, but at the same time he deserves happiness and friendship, so that’s why I stick around. Sometimes the pain gets to be too much though, and I feel so alone that I don’t know who to even talk to about it all. ”

Silence stretched on for a few beats before Chat whispered softly “You can always talk to me.”

She gave a small chuckle. “Whenever you aren’t busy saving Paris, you mean. You must have a busy life. I can’t imagine you having much time to listen to my problems.”

“I always try to make time for my friends, you included.” He smiled at her, then quickly realizing his mistake, stammered “I mean, that is if you’re cool with me being your friend.”

Marinette smiled up at him. “I think we can be friends,” She placed her hand on top of his on the railing. “You’re pretty reliable, and easy to talk to. And I can use a friend like that.” Suddenly a yawn escaped her mouth.

“Seems like someone should be getting to bed,” Chat Noir chuckled. He hopped off the railing and stretched his arms over his head. “I should probably get going anyways. Maybe I can swing back here tomorrow, around this time, provided that there’s no hero work for me to do.” He gave her a flirtatious wink.

“I think I’d like that.” She smiled up at him.

“Get some sleep, Marinette.” He swept her a gallant bow, then hopped off the railing, his pole flashing in the dark as it carried him away from sight.

“Goodnight, Chat Noir.” She smiled into the night.


	2. Promise

It had been a few days since their last meeting on her balcony and she was in the same spot as the last time he arrived, leaning on her railing and staring out into the sunset, seemingly lost in thought. He had been busy, as both Adrien and Chat Noir, that he hadn’t had time to uncover more about what had been bugging her before, so he figured while he had time before patrol tonight, he should check in with her.

He landed gracefully beside her on the balcony. “It’s a-paw-ling that it’s taken me this long to come back and visit.” he teased light heartedly. Marinette leveled him a glare from the corner of her eye and he winced. “My schedule has been pretty booked lately, and I haven’t had much time. Forgive me.”

"Well it's not as if I haven't been busy, either." She huffed reluctantly. "Between helping my parents out in the bakery and my usual responsibilities, I haven’t had time to myself until now. I even got to visit some friends earlier today, which was a rare treat, considering we all could show up."

Adrien knew this, for he had been with her at Andre’s for some ice cream earlier in the day. Adrien and Kagami were originally going to miss meeting up with the group, but their fencing lesson had ended a fair bit earlier than usual,leaving them some time before they had to be home. It didn’t take much convincing to get his body guard to drive them to where the others were, so they got to hang out for about an hour before they had to leave. 

Overall, it had been a rather nice reprieve in his summer break. School was set to resume in a few weeks, and his schedule was jam packed with photoshoots and the extra lessons his father had scheduled for him. Add to that his nightly patrols with Ladybug and the occasional akuma attack to deal with, and he was looking at a summer with little to no time for himself.

"So you hung out with some friends today?" Chat asked, feigning innocence, leaning on the rail beside her. "That sounds like fun." He grinned at her, recalling the excitement he had that afternoon.

"Fun. Yeah." She sighed, pushing away from the railing to walk towards her chair. She sat down, pulling her knees close and wrapping her arms around them protectively.

He frowned. "What's wrong?” He mentally went over their time together. Everything had seemed fine to him. Everyone was surprised to see Kagami and him show up, and Marinette seemed to be in good spirits, laughing with Luka and the others. She didn’t even leave early, or have something magically come up like she had the past few times they had been together. As far as he could tell she seemed to be back to her usual perky self. What could have possibly happened in the few hours since they had parted? “Did something happen?”

“Yeah.”She took a ragged breath. “I saw him.” Her voice barely above a whisper, caught on the last word, showing Chat just how much pain she was in. She buried her head into her knees, shielding her face from his worried gaze.

He was rooted to the spot, petrified with uncertainty. He had never seen Marinette broken like this before. Any words of comfort he could have come up with died in his throat and he realized in all his dealings as a friend, let alone a superhero, he didn’t know what to do. He was powerless in front of her, unsure of what prolific advice or action that could possibly help.

“I wanted to leave, but I couldn’t.” She lifted her head, her eyes glassy from unshed tears. “I realized that I have been running away from my problems instead of dealing with them head on, and I need to fix that.” A bitter look entered her eyes and she squeezed her legs tighter. “ _I_ need to be better.” She uncurled herself, letting one leg drape over the edge of her chair while she propped one arm on her bent knee. “Hey, Chat?” she turned to him with a sad smile, “How long will it take to feel normal again?”A singular tear streaked down her pale face.

He was beside her in an instant, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her hair. His hand went up to pat her head as she began sobbing in earnest, her arms clutching desperately to his shoulders and he squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself to stay strong for her sake, though he was breaking on the inside. It pained him to know that there wasn’t anything he could do, that he couldn’t say something profound and magic away all her problems.

After some time, her grip lessened and her sobs quieted. She pulled away from him and he gave her a weak smile, wiping the last tear that managed to escape her blue eyes. “I don’t know if I can answer that for you,” he replied softly, “as I don’t think I am quite there myself.” He gave a sardonic grin. “But maybe we can figure it out together?” She tittered softly at that, the corner of her mouth lifting for a fraction of a second. 

He leaned towards her, resting his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, breathing deeply. “If I could use my claws to take away this pain,” he spoke tenderly, “I would. You deserve better than this, Marinette.” He smiled as he pulled away. “You don’t need to change around him. Just be yourself, and who knows, maybe in doing so he will come to love the real you?”

“Thank you, Chat.” She sniffed as she looked away. “But I don’t think that’s possible. They’re perfect for one another, and can understand one another more than I can. I think it’s best that I forget about my love for him.” She returned his gaze with a resolute shrug. “But I can try to be myself around him from now on. Things have been pretty tense lately.”

He gave her shoulder a pat as he nodded. “You’re strong, Marinette. You’ll get through this.”

They sat in silence for a beat, before a distant noise tugged Chat out of the moment and brought him back to reality. He glanced over at the setting sun, knowing that soon he would have to meet up with Ladybug for their nightly patrol. A crease set in his brow. “I--” he began.

“Go.” Marinette spoke. “I know you have things to do tonight.”

“Are you sure?” He whispered back, his voice laced with concern. He searched her eyes, “I could--”

“Paris needs you.” she exhaled. “I’ll be fine.” She smiled up at him, a true smile that was still haunted with pain underneath. “You’ve helped me more than you could ever know.”

He nodded firmly. “I’ll come back.” he vowed as he stood up. “Tomorrow. The only thing that could stop me is an akuma attack. I promise.”

She nodded. “Tomorrow then.”

She gave a small wave as he vaulted away from her balcony towards duty, not knowing that he left with a leaden feeling in his chest.

***********************

Once Chat was out of sight, Marinette sighed. She climbed down into her bedroom to find the red kwami looking at her anxiously. No doubt Tikki had heard her sobbing in Chat Noirs arms, but she couldn’t risk being seen until Chat was miles away.

“Marinette…” Tikki began.

“I’m sorry, Tikki. I didn’t mean to cause you to worry.”

“It’s you I’m worried about.” she spoke cautiously. “I don’t think you should go out tonight.”

“I don’t think so, either Tikki.” Marinette agreed. “I’ll be too distracted to be on the look-out. Of course, if an akuma shows up I will have to go, but right now I think what’s best is staying here with you.” She smiled faintly at the kwami. “Of course, I should let Chat know I can’t make it.”

Tikki nodded.

“Tonight, it will be just me and you.” She lifted Tikki up and nuzzled her. “I’ll answer any questions you have and tell you everything I am feeling right now, no holding back. I promise.”


	3. Sleep

They had stayed up into the wee hours of the morning, and even though Marinette tried to go to bed when Tikki did, sleep eluded her. Her mind was unsettled. There was no coherent thought running through her head, just a strong compulsion to do something, anything at all. She just needed to take that first step, to move while she still had the courage to carry that momentum for change forward. 

So she began cleaning house--purging the things that she didn’t need any longer, the things that would impede her growth. She started with the schedule, gingerly pulling it down from its hiding spot so she didn’t wake her kwami to wipe away it’s contents. She took her time erasing, starting slowly, moving in small circles over each letter until her speed matched the fervor beating in her heart. Soon nothing but the faintest shadow remained behind.

Next she moved to the photographs. Carefully she lifted the corner of her mattress up and collected the lot. She was methodical in her movements, shuffling the edges around until she had an orderly stack, which she placed on the corner of her desk as she continued her mission. She plucked the ones delicately from her walls, slowly peeling the tape from their corners before adding them to her ever growing pile.

The only thing left now was the Valentine's Day poem. Her hand reached out to grab it, but something in her hesitated. Sure, it was written by Adrien for someone else, so it should be tucked away with the rest. But she couldn't do it. Her face contorted with indecision, until finally, she tucked it gently behind another note, only an inconspicuous corner peeking out as a quiet reminder of its existence.

Tomorrow, she thought, she would find a box to store the pictures and find a way to bury the box like she was trying to bury her feelings. 

The sun began to rise, casting an orange glow on the city below. She could faintly hear her father prepping things in the bakery downstairs. Maybe she could get a few hours of sleep in before Tikki woke up and her day officially began.

***********************

Adrien hadn’t slept well last night, and his mind was racing with worry about Marinette from the moment he woke up, which was several hours before he needed to, much to his annoyance. He had texted her in the afternoon, trying to keep things casual, but she hadn’t responded yet, which only added to his anxious state. He couldn’t focus, his senses were on high alert, just waiting for any news about an akuma attack, but one never came. He was on edge, adrenaline pumping through his veins in a constant fight or flight response.

He was mentally and physically drained, but he needed to know she was safe.

“Why don’t you just reschedule?” Plagg whined.

“Because I’ve already let her down once, and I don’t want to do it again.” Adrien firmly replied. “She’s an amazing friend, and she needs someone to be with her right now. I don’t want her to get hurt because I wasn’t there for her.”

“If you only knew,” the black kwami muttered under his breath.

“What?’

“Oh, nothing” he sighed. “Let’s get this over with while the night is still young.”

Adrien transformed, then deftly lept out his window into the night. After a few minutes, he landed on Marinette’s balcony, but his blue haired friend was nowhere in sight. “Marinette?” he called, worriedly, his heart hammering in his chest. Noticing that the hatch to her room was open, he peeked in, noticing how dark it was. He dropped down quietly, eyes scanning his surroundings. “Oh, please don’t tell me you’ve been akumatized.” he moaned and continued to call her name softly as he crawled off the loft.

He heard a noise coming from the trap door that led downstairs and he crouched down low, his body poised for attack.  _ Oh please, oh please don’t let it be so, _ he gulped as he waited.

A shadowy figure materialized, facing away from him, and he tackled it, hoping to pin it down before any damage could be done.

“GAH!” A familiar voice exclaimed, her arms and legs pushing against his assault.

“Marinette?” He questioned, his eyes focusing on her facial features in the moonlight. “Is that really you?”

“Chat, what are you doing?” She cried as she scrambled out from under him. “You scared me half to death!”

Chat released the breath he had been holding, and rolled onto the floor, relief spreading through him. “Thank god you’re alright.” He closed his eyes briefly, placing a shaking hand over them as he fought to control his emotions.

She tensed up, eyes frantically searching the room. “Is there something I should be worried about?”

“No, no,” he put a hand up in a placating manner, “I was just worried that something would happen to you is all.”

Her posture relaxed, and she gave him a puzzled look. “Like what?’

He winced, then rolled into a sitting position. “Like….you had been akumatized?”

She smiled at him, then made her way over to a lamp on her desk. She flicked it on with a soft click and a warm glow washed over the room. “Were you really that worried?” she asked.

“It had been on my mind all day.” He replied solemnly, not quite looking at her as he mentally berated himself.  _ How uncool, _ he thought inwardly.  _ I must look like a total loser to her right now. _

She crouched down in front of him. “I appreciate your concern, but as you can see, I’m fine.” She placed a hand on his cheek and made him turn to face her.

No wonder he hadn’t recognized her, he thought to himself. “Your hair is down.” he said matter-of-factly, stunned once again by how beautiful it was when it wasn’t in her usual buns.

“Yeah,” she shrugged. “I figured it was time for a change.”

“It looks wonderful,” he stammered.

“Thanks.” She smiled. “So now that you have assessed my safety, what did you want to do?”

“Sleep,” he sighed heavily. “I couldn’t focus at all today, and I still have to meet Ladybug in two hours for patrol tonight.”

She frowned, fidgeting with her fingers. “Could you call off?” she asked, “I mean. I’m sure she would understand.”

“I could try,” he replied, “But she called off on me last night, and is part of the reason why I didn’t get much sleep. I haven’t heard from her yet, but there is a chance she is still caught up with whatever it was she was into yesterday.”

“Oh,” Marinette looked away, pained, “I see.” She knit her brows in thought, seeming to war with herself over something, before speaking. “Well,” she started, “seeing as I am part of the reason why you are in this mess, why don’t you take a nap here.”

“I don’t know,” he grimaced, “I don’t think I sh--”

“I insist.” She replied firmly. “It’s the least I could do for all the trouble I’ve caused”

He exhaled, defeated. “Thanks, I really appreciate it.” He yawned deeply. Now that his mind was at ease, his exhaustion was finally catching up to him. “What will you do in the meantime?” he asked, rubbing his eyes. “I mean, I feel bad for putting you out like this.”

“I have some commissions to catch up on,” she tucked her hair behind her ear. “You can sleep in my bed, since it will be dark up there and the work I need to do is on the computer. I can set an alarm to go off to make sure you’re awake on time.”

“Thanks. I’ll make this up to you, I promise.”

“Don’t worry about it, Chat. Now, go get some sleep.”

He climbed the ladder up to her bed and collapsed, the soft clicks of her keyboard lulling him to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, I got caught up in a future event and couldn't stop writing until I got all THAT out of my system. Hope this will tide everyone over until I get things plotted from this point to point Z


	4. One Step Forward

"Something’s up with Luka.” Adrien muttered the next day.

“And what makes you say that?” Plagg questioned as he wolfed down a chunk of cheese. Patting his belly with a satisfied sigh, he continued “Seems to me that nothing has changed between those two, and the real problem lies with you.”

“No, it’s got to be him. Have you seen the way they interact? I’m sure she has a crush on him and she recently found out that he doesn’t feel the same way.” He steepled his fingers in thought as he stared blankly at his computer screen. Earlier that day, he had met up with his friends for a picnic in the park. Well, more like they were having a picnic in the same park that he had been doing a photoshoot in. He didn’t really have time to hang out with them, but in between poses, he cast furtive glances at the group, carefully watching Marinette and her reactions. She had spent most of her time with Luka, occasionally being interrupted by Alya for something or another, before she resumed her interaction with the blue haired guitarist. Nothing had seemed out of place. Luka chatted amicably with Marinette and the others, and from what Adrien could tell, Luka hadn’t been giving preferential treatment to anyone. If anything, he seemed just as engrossed with Marinette as she was with him. But every once in a while, when she thought no one was looking, a sliver of the anguish she showed him last night flickered across her face. Adrien frowned. “The only question is _whom_ he has feelings for, because I can’t figure it out.”

“Maybe you’re not the only one with a huge crush on Ladybug?” Plagg teased.

“Ha ha.” Adrien rolled his eyes sarcastically at the comment, and then spun in his computer chair lazily. “Besides, I’m trying to get past that. That’s why I’m seeing Kagami.”

“As a friend.” Plagg retorted with a snort. “Need I remind you that you haven’t properly addressed your feelings on the matter? You’re just prolonging the inevitable and going to break the poor girl’s heart.”

“You can’t be certain of that. And how will I know unless I try? Kagami is a good friend, and I’d never want to hurt a good friend.”

“If you say so, but things might not go the way you expect. Personally, I think you’re going about all of this the wrong way.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Jumping into a relationship while you’re still in rebound mode isn’t a good idea. When it eventually fails--and trust me it will--Kagami won’t be the only one affected. You’re going to feel terrible about it too because you’re nothing but a softy.”

Adrien pondered Plaggs words. “I don’t think that will happen. I just need to keep doing what I have been, and everything will work out. You’ll see.” He smiled assuredly.

A delicate chime went off on Adrien’s phone and he frowned as he read the notification. “Uuugh, that’s right, I forgot father scheduled me a meeting with Mode magazine for his upcoming winter line. I have to go shower, Plagg. We’ll talk more about this later.”

When Adrien was out of earshot, Plagg mumbled to himself “Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt, Adrien. And I think you’re going to find that out a lot sooner than you think.”

***********************

“Alright, spill it. What’s wrong with you?” Alya stood with her arms crossed, a calculating gleam entering her golden eyes as she looked Marinette up and down. Marinette winced and opened the door to her living room, gesturing that Alya should enter. “We were at the park where Adrien was today and you didn’t go all goo-goo eyed over him.”

“Just because he is in the vicinity, doesn’t mean that I have to be drooling all over him.” Marinette rolled her eyes and began trudging up to her room.

“That’s true, but this is so unlike you,” Alya followed behind, still chatting away. “And this isn’t the only thing, you've been acting weird all afternoon.” she gestured towards Marinette. "You show up with your hair down, which, don't get me wrong, looks great, but you claim it was because you wanted to change. I can tell it's been bugging you--" She trailed off, her eyes going wide as she assessed the room. Marinette cringed inwardly, knowing what was coming and dreading it at the same time. “They’re all gone.” Alya whispered, her brows furrowing in thought before she turned her searching gaze to Marinette. “What happened?”

“I...I decided to give up.” Marinette stated with a shrug. “I mean, he is finally with the girl he loves, and they just seem so…. _made_ for eachother.”

Alya frowned. “I guess that is true.” she mumbled. “Are you going out with Luka, then?” She queried. “You didn’t really leave his side when we were at the park today-- which, oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!" She face palmed "I wouldn’t have suggested going there had I known! I thought you would appreciate it!”

“No, I understand. You didn’t know at the time.” She gave a small smile. “And I’m not with Luka. He’s just a friend.”

“A friend, huh? You aren’t thinking about using him as a rebound, are you?” Alya coyly retorted. “I can see the way he looks at you, and I think it might be a good thing."

“No, I couldn’t do that. He’s my friend, and I’d never want to play him like that. He’s just comfortable to be around.” she waved away Alya’s words. “Besides, that’s not why I asked you to come here. I need you to take care of something for me. You’re the only one I can trust with it.”

“Sure, “ Alya replied, taken aback. “Whatever you need, I’ll do it.”

Marinette handed her a small, unassuming brown box from the corner of her desk.

"What is it?”

"My feelings.” Marinette replied sadly. “I need you to hide this for me, because I don't have the strength to bury them on my own."

Alya looked inside the box, then back to Marinette with a puzzled look. "I don’t understand, these are just pictures? You could always throw them away to get rid of them.”

Marinette gave a small smile. “He’s a friend, Alya. And I don’t want to do that either.”

“Fine,” Alya relented with a huff. “Though I don’t know what you expect me to do with--” her phone chimed, interrupting her. She pulled it out of her pocket and grimaced. “Oh, crap, I forgot I was supposed to help Alix today. She wanted me to film this new skate trick to submit for a contest. I have to go.” She shoved the box in her bag. “I promise, I’ll be back someday soon and we _will_ discuss this Luka situation in detail!”

“But there’s nothing to--”

“I don’t want to hear it!” she called as she disappeared out the door.


	5. Two Steps Back

Things didn’t get any better after Alya left. An akuma known as Knightmare appeared shortly after night fell, looking exactly like a dark prince riding a voluminous black cloud shaped like a horse. He wielded a thorny broadsword, which both cut like a knife and shot its spiky tendrils forward. She was having a difficult time with this one, and Chat seemed to only be getting in her way.

“Trouble in paradise?” his deep voice cackled evilly. “Don’t worry, once I get you and your lovers Miraculous, no one in Paris will ever love again! Ha ha ha!” He shot vines towards them, which they deftly dodged.

“Why does everyone assume that we’re together?!” She huffed as she parried the villains attack with the umbrella her Lucky Charm had materialized. She was getting annoyed, all this talk about love while she was still in the throes of trying to get over her first one, she couldn’t concentrate well on what she was supposed to do to de-akumatize the person in front of her. The villain bounced back into the air and Ladybug stomped her foot in frustration. “For the last time, I don’t love him, and I certainly don’t love Lu--”

"Look out, Ladybug!" Chat Noir tackled her out of the way, just before the akumas vine attack would have blasted her. He deftly shielded her from the brunt of his blow, cradling the back of her head and holding her close.

“And this is why people think that we are a thing!” She yelled, pushing him off her. “I’m so tired of this!” She swung her yo-yo towards the villain, catching him around the ankle and drug him down from his horse mid-air. She quickly opened her umbrella as his sword pierced between its tines, twisting it out of his grasp, and tossing it towards Chat Noir. While he was still caught off guard, she punched the evil black prince in the stomach, making him double over when he landed on the street. She heard Chat destroy the enchanted object while she still glared daggers at the villain in front of her.

“Don’t you think that was a little harsh?” Chat commented behind her as she wordlessly captured the akuma and purified it. He glanced nervously towards the civilian kneeling in the road. “I know that you’re frustrated, but taking it out on him when he’s under someone else’s control? That’s a bit much, even for you.”

She sighed, knowing Chat was right. “I know. I’m...I’m sorry.” She reached down and helped the gentleman up. He was wearing a nice two piece suit and holding a bouquet of roses. “I shouldn’t have taken my anger out on you.”

“It’s fine, I can understand.” The gentleman replied sadly. “It was my own anger that got me into this mess. I was going to have dinner with my girlfriend today and I saw her laughing with another man. She didn’t even know I was there." He sighed. "I guess love isn't in the cards for me."

"You never know that," Chat responded, patting the guy on the shoulder. "Maybe this is all a big misunderstanding. Why don't you go talk to her and figure it all out, hmm?"

"You're right, Chat Noir. I think I might just do that. It might have been a friend, after all.” He smiled faintly and waved as he walked away.

She tossed the umbrella into the air, scattering her magical ladybugs to fix the damage and set things right.

“Listen, I’m sorry,” they both awkwardly said at the same time, eliciting a small chuckle out of the both of them.

“You first,” Chat indicated.

“I never should have said that the way I did, Chat, and I’m sorry. I’m just under a lot of pressure right now as guardian. What if I screw things up? Was Master Fu right about me, or am I just a giant failure. Things haven’t really been going well in my civilian life either, so I’ve been feeling rather down lately. You’re a great partner, and a great friend. I shouldn’t have taken my irritation out on you.”

“I firmly believe that Master Fu was right in choosing you, both as Ladybug and as the new guardian. It’s just unfortunate how things turned out in the end, especially when Chloe willingly went to Hawk Moths side.” he sighed, scratching the back of his neck as he looked away from her. “And I guess you had a right to be angry with me, too. I never hid my affection from you, and even though you kept rejecting me, I never gave up trying until now. So, I’m sorry I wasn’t considering your feelings on the matter, especially considering that you had someone you love out there. It’s not easy being in a one-sided love.”

“Yeah,”She muttered. “It wasn’t. So that’s why I gave up.”

“Wha-”

She flipped yer yo-yo into the distance. “I’m sorry, Chat. I’ve got to go.”

“Ladybug, wait!” She heard him cry out as she flew through the night, away from him, and all the feelings he had evoked in her. She faintly wondered if he was going to visit her on the balcony tonight.

***********************

His hand was outstretched towards her retreating form. He braced himself against his pole, ready to launch after her, but before he could vault off the ground he heard the beeping of his Miraculous. He mentaly cursed himself, knowing that even if he somehow could retransform and chase after her, she was long gone.

He lept instead in the direction the akumas victim went. He hid himself in the shadows on a rooftop and transformed, giving Plagg a piece of cheese as he watched the man reunite with his girlfriend. All seemed to be going well. The woman in question introduced someone to her boyfriend, and he heard a jovial laugh full of relief come from him. Apparently it was just a misunderstanding.

“I’m glad,” he whispered with a sigh.

“About what?” Plagg retorted with a snort.

“That things worked out in the end for him. That he gets to be with the one he loves.”

“And what about you, Adrien? You going to chase after Ladybug again now that she’s not pining away for some other guy? Because I don’t think she’ll be that receptive towards your advances. She made herself pretty clear tonight.”

“No, nothing like that, Plagg.” Adrien winced. “I told you, I’m giving up on her. Tonight is just more proof that she will never see me that way.”

“Uh-huh,” Plagg drawled, “And you were about ten seconds away from vaulting after her. Feelings aren’t like a light switch: you can’t just turn them on and off whenever you want.”

“It’s not like that!” Adrien huffed, exasperated. “I’m just worried about her is all. Besides, I’m with-”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re ‘with Kagami’ now,” he put in air quotes and rolled his eyes. “Say what you will about your relationship with her, but your heart resides in a completely different place. You’re just too stubborn to realize it.”

Adrien pursed his lips at that, adamant that he at least knew his own feelings, knew he was on the right path. “Plagg, claws out!”

“Oh come oooooon!” Plagg whined as he was sucked into the Miraculous and transformed Adrien into Chat Noir again.

Within a few minutes, Chat was on Marinette's balcony, but for the second time in a row, his friend was nowhere in sight. He sighed dejectedly, and noticed a piece of paper on her table held under one of her potted plants. He recognized her writing at once.

_Chat, I’m sorry, but I don’t think I feel up for a late night visit this evening. Some things happened today, and I just want to be left alone. Maybe tomorrow? Your friend, Marinette._

Despondently, he made his way home and lamented his bad luck. He couldn’t figure out what was wrong with Ladybug, and now he couldn’t even ask Marinette about her problems either. Tomorrow, he would get to the bottom of it, one way or another. He’d pay Luka a visit and figure out if Marinette's problem was all just one big misunderstanding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for the kudos and comments! It's been nice to see people enjoying this story as much as I am getting to write it!  
> I'm going to try and get this finished before the New York Special airs, because I don't want it to cloud my own vision on my narrative (I have a head cannon and it is oddly specific), but I also know realistically that I might not make it in time. I have a beginning, the ending is complete; I just need to make the two halves meet without rushing things


	6. Luka

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist for the songs I drew inspiration from, in order
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL56cDSJmqOzynQoeOdM9AXaAUJvVScsRL

Ch. 6: Luka

They were facing away from each other, back to back, on Liberty's deck and he was playing a slow, rhythmic beat on his guitar. It reminded Marinette of someone walking down a dark and lonely road, of trying to remain upbeat as the world you knew was crashing around you. She closed her eyes, getting lost in the melody, for it once again echoed the emotions running through her heart. “How is it you can see into my soul like that?” she said softly.

Luka continued to play, losing himself in the song as well, his body convulsing in the gentle beat as his fingers strummed. “I just….look at you and know.” he responded, fingers still plucking at the strings and foot tapping to the rhythm. 

Marinette sighed deeply, leaning against Lukas strong back. Even though she had conflicting emotions warring within her, feelings and thoughts that were left unresolved, she was at peace when she was with him. Her mind was clear, free of everything that was plaguing her. It was as if she were a separate entity, looking down on it all to gain a clearer perspective.

But she didn’t do that. She could have, but that would mean facing the things she didn’t want to, that she was afraid of finding the answers to. So she let herself soar above the clouds, free from the weight of the burdens she cared, letting herself feel nothing but the warm, rhythmic thumping of Luka against her back.

He stopped playing, turning over his shoulder. “Why do you do this to yourself?” he asked her, “Why is it that everytime I seem to see you, this is the music that is in your soul?”

“It’s...complicated,” she hedged, leaning forward and hugging her knees. She was already missing the sweet, gentle beat he had created, the emotions that had evaporated rolling back in like a thick, cloying fog. “It’s not that I _want_ to feel this way, it just...happens.” She gave a small shrug.

Luka put his guitar down, then leaned back so they were facing. He smiled faintly at her. “You deserve so much more in life than what it has given you, Marinette.” Several beats passed in comfortable silence, the two of them lost in their own thoughts. “Marinette, I-” he stopped short, opening and closing his mouth as he seemingly tried to find the words he wanted to say.

“You can use your guitar, you know.” She said with a smile. “You convey things so well with it,” she placed a hand on her heart sadly and thought, _like my heart._

Luka frowned, then looked away. “I don’t think I can.” he muttered.

Marinette looked at him, concerned. “But you’ve never had a problem with it before, why now?”

“I’m just not sure you’re ready to listen.”

“I told you before I was, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, and look where that’s gone.” He huffed. He took a deep breath. “Look, you’re a sweet girl, Marinette, and I absolutely love being with you," he stressed this part, sincerity in his tone, "but it’s clear that your mind is still focused on Adrien.”

“How did you--I mean, that’s not true.” she frowned in thought. Was it true that in her obsession to forget about her first love that she was still thinking about Adrien all the time? Was this whole thing just a giant maze from which she could never escape, where every dead end was filled with Adrien? “Is it?” she asked faintly, to no one in particular.

Luka sighed, almost reluctantly, and pasted a pained smile on his face. “I told you, the reason why I can see your innermost feelings is because I am looking _at_ you, Marinette. And the songs come naturally because they are how _I_ feel too.” He tucked her hair behind her ear gently. “I look at you the same way you look at him, but unlike you, I won’t give up. I can wait until you’re ready, _truly_ ready, because I love you.”

Marinette's felt a blush rise to her cheeks, her heart beating wildly in her ears. “I…” she stammered her eyes searching his face. His gaze remained unwavering, conveying the sincerity of his words, and the hurt that lied just beneath the surface. “I…..”

She was conflicted. If what Luka said was true, that she still wasn’t over her crush on Adrien, then it would be cruel to lead him on when her feelings were so jumbled. She didn’t want to dive into the comfort that Luka brought her, only to tear him to shreds down the road once her mind was less muddled. “Luka,” she lamented, “I-”

Luka pressed a finger gently to her lips. “You don’t have to say anything,” he responded. “I already know. You’re as clear as a musical note to me.”

He removed his finger. “I’m sorry.” she said, anguished.“I truly do care about you, Luka. I feel at peace whenever I’m with you, and you’ve been there for me in times when I needed a shoulder to cry on. If what you say is true, you deserve better than my half-hearted feelings, because the last thing I want to do is to hurt a really good friend.” She placed a light kiss on his cheek.

And she left.

***********************

Adrien arrived just in time to see Marinette leaving, a sad look on her face as she clutched herself tightly. He waited until she was gone, then went searching for Luka. He didn’t have to question where to search, for a soft, longing melody was dancing in the summer breeze. Adrien followed it to the bow of the ship, where he saw his target strumming the tune with a saddened look on his face.

“Hey Adrien,” he greeted, without looking up. “What brings you here?”

“I just happened to be passing by,” he lied. The truth was he escaped his piano lessons once again. He pointed a finger over his shoulder. “I just saw Marinette leave. She looked pretty upset, what happened?”

“I...may have said some things she didn’t want to hear.” Luka stopped playing, suddenly looking despondent.

“Like what?” Adrien broached lightly. He didn’t want to be right, but at the same time, it was hard not to draw the conclusions he was. 

Luka grunted, then shook his head. “It’s between me and her, let's just leave it at that.”

With an answer like that, it was basically shutting a door in his face. Adrien couldn’t pry more into the matter without it seeming off. Afterall, only Chat really knew that Marinette had given up on someone, and though Adrien had his suspicions on who that person was, how would he have known to even go digging? _Man, leading a double life is so frustrating_ , he thought inwardly.

“You’ve been pretty busy this summer,” Luka commented as Adrien sat down. “I’m surprised to see you around.” His fingers began plucking a different melody than the first. It had an upbeat swing, and just a hint of sadness. It felt like the song was searching for something, a slow but steady rhythm plodding along a singular path. 

“That’s so strange,” Luka muttered, almost to himself as he concentrated on the music that was flowing from his fingers.

“What’s strange?”

Luka stopped playing and shook his head. “The songs in here.” he placed his hand over his heart. “They’re so similar.” his brows furrowed in thought and he began playing the same song as before, interspersing it with some unfamiliar melody Adrien hadn’t heard before. "I just dont understand how..." He trailed off, confusion on his face as continued to alternate between the two songs. It was a little bit clunky, and needed some fine tuning, but overall you could tell that they were echos of the same emotions.

Adrien didn’t know how to respond, so instead he remarked offhandedly “You seem to do that so well. Write music, that is.” He sighed. “I wish I could write it as smoothly as you.”

“All I do is look deep inside and it just comes out naturally. It’s like all the answers are there, you just have to know what you’re looking for.”

“Hm.” Adrien replied thoughtfully. “I think I’ll have to try that out. Well, I better get going before my Father gets too upset with me. Take care.”

Luka nodded with a smile as Adrien got up to walk away. "Take care."


	7. The Right Path

Later that day, Chat landed on the Eiffel Tower next to Ladybug with a dull thud. It had been a quiet patrol, and he couldn’t wait to see Marinette. It was beginning to bug him that he couldn’t figure out the enigma that surrounded her. He wanted to help, but it was hard when he had so little information to go off of.

“Anything to report, Chat?” she asked, staring out into the Parisian night, lost in thought.

“Nothing. How about you?”

“Same.” she sighed.

There was a tense silence in the air. He waited a beat, seeing if she was going to broach the deafening stillness. “Well, I guess if that’s it then?” 

He went to take off, but she tugged lightly on his tail, causing him to look at her and her downcast expression. “Wait…” she breathed softly. “Please. I...I have something to ask you.”

“Alright,” he said slowly, tucking away his pole. “I’m listening. What did you want to talk about?”

“How do you know you’re on the right path, Chat? You’re always so sure of yourself.”

He took a deep breath. “I’m not always so sure of myself, though. I have doubts about many things. What do you seem to be doubting?" He asked, his heart hammering in his chest.  _ No, _ he cursed inwardly,  _ stop getting excited. We've been over this.  _ **_You_ ** _ are over this. _

"That I might have made a mistake. That the path I have chosen myself is the wrong one…" 

"Is this about last time?" He asked shakily, still battering down his emotions. She gave a small nod, and he continued. "Look, I can't really give you advice on that, other than you need to do what's best for yourself. And the only thing we can do is to keep moving forward and hope for the best.” He patted her shoulder in a friendly manner. "You'll make a great guardian, just like you're a great Ladybug.” He paused, battling in his head if he should even say the words that were trying to escape him. With a small stutter he continued his line of thought. “And if the boy you used to like can't see how great you are underneath all of this," he gestured towards her costume, "then he doesn't deserve you."

"Thank you,  _ chaton _ .” She gave him a radiant smile, then swung away into the night, leaving him conflicted yet again on whether he was truly on the right path.

About thirty minutes later, he found himself at Marinette’s place. She was staring at the moonless night, humming a song that felt oddly familiar. “That’s a pretty song.” he said as he approached her from behind. “What’s it about?”

“My soul, apparently.”

“Huh.” he drawled and leaned on the railing next to her. “Care to elaborate?”

“I met with a friend earlier today, Luka, and he has this amazing gift of being able to see things that I have a hard time expressing and turning it into a song. He’s so sweet and kind, and just being around him makes me feel at ease. I’m not afraid to be myself when I’m with him, and he just seems to understand everything there is about me. He's really amazing, and…” she trailed off.

Chat took a breath. He knew what had happened then, why they were both acting strange earlier in the day. He hated that he had to be right. “He rejected you then.” he finished for her.

“...He told me he loves me.”

Chat tensed up momentarily before he stuttered “But that’s a good thing, right? I mean, if he’s the one you’ve been in love with then there shouldn’t be a problem?”

“Luka’s not the one I’m trying to get over.” She sighed. “That’s what the song is about. Apparently in my determination to forget, I keep thinking about him." She furrowed her brow in determination. "But that all changes today. I will resolve to stop thinking about him by just...being me. I won’t constantly think about getting over him, I will quit avoiding him, and hopefully we can still remain friends."

Chat gave her a puzzling glance. "And….what about the one who said he liked you?"

"I don’t know.” she hesitated. “I’m conflicted. I know Luka’s feelings are genuine, and he knows that I'm not quite ready, but I feel like he deserves someone so much better." She worried at her lip. “He’s a great friend, and I’d never want to lie to him.”

“Then don’t.” Chat responded. “Let things naturally take their course. You said he understood you completely, yeah? Then he should understand this. Don’t become someone you’re not. You’re perfect just the way you are.” He smiled at her.

“Thanks.” She smiled back at him, a blush spreading briefly across her cheeks.

They turned back towards the black sky, and Chat reflected on his day. Maybe Plagg had a point. If the past few times with Ladybug was any indication, he still had feelings for her, and that was a path he didn’t want to take. Maybe him being with Kagami was a way of deflecting those emotions, and he was using her as a shield. He knew his heart wasn’t fully in it, but she seemed so certain that they were made for one another, so he figured he would give it a shot. 

He was honestly surprised that Marinette wasn’t doing the same thing. He had seen the way she had looked at Luka before, and there is clearly some sort of connection for her to say that he understands her completely, but she didn’t want to risk being on the wrong path. Only time would tell if they were both where they intended to be. He hoped, at least, that she found happiness. She deserved that much at least.

After a few beats, she broke the comfortable silence. “Hey, do you know how to play  _ Ultimate Mecha Strike III _ ?” 

“Yeah, but I’m not nearly as good as you.”

“What?” she questioned, slowly. “But, we’ve never-”

“I mean, I’m not really that great, so I assume you are going to be the better player.” He hurriedly replied.

“Well, if you want, I can teach you the Dupain-Chang style.” She winked at him. “Come on,  _ chaton _ .” She grabbed his hand and led him down into her room.

***********************

The days passed by in a comfortable blur. Marinette would wake up, help with the bakery for a few hours, then run out to hang with her friends. She even started to act somewhat normal around Adrien, even though he was seen at a distance. Meanwhile, Chat was coming over almost every night after patrol to play  _ Ultimate Mecha Strike III _ with her. He had some skills, she noticed, but she still was the better player in the end. She began teaching him some of the secret combos in the game, and although he was a fast learner, he was still outclassed.

She gave a chuckle at the thought, remembering that Chat had vowed to beat her tonight if it was the last thing he did.

“What’s so funny?” Alya asked, as they walked back towards Marinette's house. They had just dropped off Manon from their playdate at the park.

“Oh, just thinking of this stray cat that hangs out around my place.” She smiled.

“Really? Because you’re awfully dreamy over there over some little kitten.” Alya nudged her gently. “Come on, fess up. You and Luka are dating now, right? I heard that you’ve been spending a lot of time with him in the afternoons these days.”

“No, it’s not like that.” Marinette sighed. “He’s helping me clear my mind of all of...this.” she gestured to one of the many Adrien posters that decorated Paris’ streets. “He’s just comfortable to be around.”

“Uh-huh. And that’s all?” Alya drawled, her golden eyes holding a speculative gleam.

“That’s all. Speaking of, you found a place to hide that stuff, right?”

“Oh yeah, 100%.” She waved a hand in the air. “Alix had a great idea, so don’t worry it’s all taken care of.” 

“I’m glad.” Marinette sighed.

“I’m surprised that you’re taking this as well as you are, considering,” Alya gestured to even more Adrien posters along their path.

“Baby steps,” Marinette retorted. “I’ll get there eventually. Besides, I have a stray to help keep things off my mind.”

A few hours later, it was pouring outside and Chat was giving Marinette a run for her money in their video game. 

“You better watch out, Marinette,” Chat taunted as he ran a triple combo. “I told you tonight would be the night.”

“In your dreams, pussy cat.” She countered, landing a few more critical blows to his bot.

Things were getting intense,only the furious clicks from their controllers breaking the rainy silence as they both concentrated on pulverizing the other. Their health bars were both getting dangerously low, and she wasn’t quite sure if she was going to win in the end.

“I’ve got you now!” Chat exclaimed gleefully as his battered down her health bar.

By the skin of her teeth, she blocked almost all of his blows, and countered with a few critical hits.

“K.O.!” the game announced and Marinette screamed with joy, throwing herself at Chat laughing. He was caught off guard and the two of them tumbled to the floor, where she was being cradled in his arms to cushion the blow.

“Oh my god, that was so close!” Marinette wheezed, still giggling. She pushed herself up so she could look at his face, and felt her hair sticking to her lips. She tried to blow it away, but it was hard when she was so breathless from mirth.

“Yeah, it was.” Chat smiled up at her and tucked her hair behind her ears so it wasn’t bothering her anymore. “Maybe next time I’ll finally catch you.”

Marinette felt something stir within her as she looked down into Chat’s brilliant green eyes. She hastily got off of him, heart pounding in her chest as thunder rumbled in the distance. 

“Best two out of three?” He offered as he sat up.

“Sure,” she stuttered, and proceeded to lose the next two rounds, unable to concentrate on the game in front of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, I got stuck in a rut and had a hard time digging my way out of it (until I literally switched perspectives and it all worked out in the end)


	8. Chat

It was the beginning of a beautiful evening. The sun’s golden rays were sparkling like diamonds as it reflected across the Seine. Chat had taken her out to get ice cream as a change of scenery. “You can’t stay cooped up there, like some princess in a tower.” he had told her as he whisked her away, a mischievous smile on his face. “Besides, it’s been a while since I rescued any damsels in distress.” He winked.

“You’re no prince,” she had laughed then, playfully swatting at him.

“Who’s to say that I’m not underneath all of this?” he murmured as he scooped her up and they went vaulting through the air. “My point still remains, I’m breaking you out of this place.”

He had been right, though. It had been quiet for a while now, almost idyllic. Chat had spent so much time with her these days that she was greedy for more. Every night that Hawk Moth hadn’t akumatized someone was a blessing, because she got to soak up the sunshine that he brought into her life. But as lucky as it was to have this time to spend with Chat, a small part of her worried that something big was lurking just beneath the horizon and this was just the calm before the storm.

She was so lost in thought as they walked that she stumbled across her own feet, but before she could land flat on her face, Chat’s strong arm reached out to catch her.

“Are you alright?” he asked, his tone worried.

“Yeah,” she stammered. “I’m fine. Clumsy me.” She gave a nervous laugh and looked up into his eyes. It was apparently the wrong thing to do, for he looked absolutely dreamy in that moment. His green eyes shimmered behind his black mask, reminding her of fireflies dancing in the summer nights, while his golden hair seemed a halo in the setting sun. Such a contrast he was, simultaneously day and night, spring and summer. She was lost in the moment of him, of his scent, and the feel of his arms around her. She never wanted this to end.

He seemed to be just as spellbound as she was, for he smiled down at her. A warm glow entered his eyes, and he ran a hand across her cheek. “Marinette,” he whispered softly, causing tingles to go down her spine. 

“Yes, Chat?” She replied breathlessly, butterflies dancing in her stomach.

“There’s something that I’ve been meaning to tell you,” he paused, a small blush forming on his cheeks, “but I’m not sure how you’ll react.” 

“Yeah?” She waited with baited breath. She was entirely captivated by his lips. How she ached to know if they felt as soft as they looked. He seemed to notice this, and leaned forward slowly, their faces drawing closer and closer.

“I just…” he trailed off, his hand moving into her hair. “I want….”

HIs lips were so close now, teasing her with his hot breath. She felt herself melting under his intense gaze, knees going weak. She closed her eyes, leaning forward into those final few inches.

“ **_Your Miraculous!_ **” he roared, yanking her earring out with such force that she spun out of his arms. 

She cried out, her hand rushing up to her throbbing ear while blood trickled down her neck. She gazed up in pain towards Chat and felt her blood drain from her face. “What?” she whispered, horrified at the white sight before her, his blue eyes piercing her like daggers. She was frozen to the spot, unable to move her legs as she felt icy water rising quickly up from the earth, enveloping everything in its murky depths.

“Did you miss me, m’lady?” Chat Blanc sneered down at her. “Because I sure have missed you.”

She gave a small sob and reached out towards him as the water covered her head, her heart aching.

Marinette woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for air. Her heart was hammering inside her chest, adrenaline and fear rushing through her veins. Her hands shook as she tentatively reached up and touched her earrings, assuring herself that they were still there.

“Are you okay, Marinette?” Tikki hovered nervously nearby. “You really scared me, crying out like that.”

“Wha--Oh, sorry.” she panted, taking deep gulping breaths, trying to get her nerves under control. “Just a nightmare. I’ll be fine once I calm down.” 

“Sometimes talking about these things will help put it all into perspective. Why don’t you tell me what your dream was about?”

“There’s no point. Dreams aren’t real. They have no connection to--” she trailed off. Was it merely a dream, or was it an omen? Her thoughts were racing at a dizzying speed, her thoughts muddled from the shock of how real her dream had felt, the violent intensity of Chat’s frigid blue eyes. Just recalling the way he had looked in his akumatized form made her shudder. But then she recalled the warmth of his breath on her skin, the way her heart was pounding in anticipation as she waited for him to put words to the feelings that had been building up inside of her, the spark that was ignited within and burned slowly through her.

 _“It was our love that did this to the world!”_ The memory of Chat Blanc's voice rang coldly in her head, sending a new wave of shivers down her spine.

“Oh no, Tikki,” she moaned, covering her face with her hands. “I think this was a warning. I’m in love with Chat Noir!”

Life was cruel, she realized. She had vowed to give up on Adrien, and here she was, falling in love with another unattainable person. They could never know each other's identities until Hawk Moth was defeated, and even if she were to chase after him in her civilian form, it would be the same outcome. It wasn’t safe to be in love with Chat Noir. She had seen first hand the destruction he could rend if he were to grow to love her in return. He was fiercely protective, always throwing himself in harm's way to save her from an attack. 

And she couldn’t risk that.

She would have to bury her budding infatuation, never letting that particular flower bloom. 

“What are you going to do, Marinette?” The kwami gazed back at her, a concerned look in her eyes.

“The only thing I can do, Tikki.” Marinette sniffed. “I have to give up before it’s too late.”


End file.
